Because I have to…

Whisper of The Heart Review

There lives a girl named Tsukishima Shizuku who loves to read and sometimes tries to write. She met a boy named Amasawa Seiji and later finds out that Seiji wants to be a professional violin maker. Knowing that, she doubts her own future. She doesn’t know what to do in her future life. She likes writing but does she really have the talent?

Review

This movie tells me a lot to me personally. I don’t know what to do in my life either. I like writing (which is the very reason I write this review in the first place) but can I really perform in it? Is a professional writer or a freelance writer a good occupation? Do I have the opportunity to become one? Other than writing what else can I do? Yeah, those are the questions lingering inside my noggin now. So does Shizuku (sort of). She likes to read fictional books and tries to write lyrics. She doubts her own talent but her friends say that her lyrics are amazing. She also doesn’t know whether or not to write in her future life so I find myself very relatable to her.

Shizuku meets Amasawa Seiji, a boy who lives in an antique shop with his grandfather. Seiji has a goal in his life which is to become a well-known violin maker while Shizuku’s goal are still blurry. Now, this is where the good part starts. From this point, Shizuku grows and develops to overcome her uncertainty. Her character development really shines and it’s easy to follow. I think that her growth can actually motivate others. At least, she sort of motivated me to write more and she made me feel that starting this very blog was a really good start. Because of that, I really like her.

The characters are very likable. We got Shizuku the main character. She has a well portrayed character development that is very interesting. Her love interest is Seiji who inspires her to overcome her current state of performance. The relationship between these two characters are very sweet and innocent. They do not like each other at first but later starts to grow feelings towards each other. I mean, who doesn’t like a relationship growth like that?

The other characters are likable as well. Most of them serve the purpose of the plot while others are to spice up the romance genre. The sub plot at the beginning of the story is really captivating. Yes, it’s cliché. However I can’t help it but relate myself to those situation. After all, it really brings up the mood since the overall pace of the story is pretty slow.

Now, it’s time for the sub and the dub. I have no problem with the sub but I prefer dub because that’s what I generally prefer. I think the standout for the dub is Shizuku’s singing and her lyrics. Her lyrics in dub seems more legit to me. It just sounds better. Moving on, I like her singing better in dub because she – is – herself. Her voice doesn’t change. In sub, her voice when she is talking and singing are very different as if someone else takes the role of the singing. That’s all I can say about the sub and the dub. it’s only a minor thing actually. I don’t have any major problem with either of them but as always, I prefer the dub.

For the final verdict, I’ll give this movie a 5 out of 5 stars. Although some people might not find this movie appealing due its its slow pacing, I enjoyed it to the fullest. The romance feels very genuine. The slow pacing of the story is necessary for Shizuku’s growth. The ending is very sweet. Enough said, it’s a near perfect romance anime movie. So go watch it!